In Safe Hands
Jamaican veteran to guard Impact net in inaugural MLS season

The Montreal Impact continue to make a splash in the transfer market.

Just hours after the club acquired midfielder Davy Arnaud from Sporting KC, they added yet another veteran weapon on Monday, picking up 34-year-old goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts from MLS Cup champs LA Galaxy in exchange for allocation money.

The Montreal Impact continued a busy six-day stretch with another trade to shore up their veteran leadership on Monday, dealing for Sporting Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud.

The Impact shipped defender Seth Sinovic and allocation money in the deal, less than a week after they picked up Sinovic from Sporting KC in the MLS Expansion Draft last Wednesday. Sporting left the young defender unprotected for the draft and the Impact swooped in, but it appears they may found Sinovic expendable after a recent deal for Seattle Sounders defender Tyson Wahl came through last week.

SAVE THE DATES:
MLS Schedules Home Openers for 2012 Regular Season
Impact to play its first MLS home game on March 17 at Olympic Stadium

NEW YORK, NY – Major League Soccer’s 17th season will kick off on Saturday, March 10, 2012 with six matches. First Kick presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue with two games on Sunday, March 11 and one on Monday, March 12.

All but one MLS club will play in front of their home fans by the end of Week 3 of the 2012 regular season. The Houston Dynamo look forward to their May 12 debut in a sparkling new downtown stadium built specifically for soccer. The Montreal Impact’s first home game in MLS will be played at Olympic Stadium on March 17. The newly-renovated Stade Saputo is scheduled to open in June.

Times, opponents, and national broadcast information for these games will be included in the entire regular season schedule, which will be announced upon its completion in the coming weeks.

MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact and BMO Financial Group, the club’s presenting partner, unveiled the new team jersey in preparation for the club’s inaugural season in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012, as part of a fashion show at the Montreal Science Centre, on Thursday. The two organizations took advantage of the momentous occasion to also unveil the equipment and training gear.

“This is a historic moment for the Montreal Impact. The new team jersey represents not only the identity of the club, but also the city of Montreal and the entire province of Quebec,” said Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo. “We are proud to have partnered with BMO Financial Group, Canada’s soccer bank. We are very pleased to have shared this unique experience with our supporters and our partners.”

“This is an exciting day for all soccer fans with the unveiling of the superb Impact jersey that highlights the team’s roots and association with Montreal and Quebec,” said L. Jacques Ménard, President, BMO Financial Group, Quebec. “As the Impact defines its identity following last week’s MLS draft and subsequent player moves, and today’s jersey announcement, BMO is proud to partner with an organization that will have an immediate impact in promoting soccer in our community and representing Montreal throughout North America as the team begins its first season in MLS in March 2012.”
IMFC BOUTIQUE: http://www.impactmontreal.com/en

Del Piero has indicated that this will be his final year at Juventus and it’s long been suggested that he would end his career in North America. The Impact have strong links with the Italian community in Montreal and, as such, Del Piero has been thought to be a good fit as a marquee DP signing for the club.
However, there has been little to suggest that the link is more than fantasy prior to today.
Marsch also said that the club was in talks to bring Canadian international and Montreal-native Patrice Bernier to the club. He did not indicate whether they were close to the deal, but said that talks were ongoing.

Earlier this year, Bernier spoke to It’s Called Football and said that he would be “thrilled” to be part of Montreal’s launch into MLS, but that he had not had any contact with the club at that time.

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MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact has added another player to their Major League Soccer roster on Monday, and it’s a familiar face to local fans.

Midfielder Ian Westlake becomes the fourth player from the 2011 edition of the Impact to make the jump to MLS. The other three are midfielders Hassoun Camara and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, as well as goalkeeper Evan Bush

“There are some interesting names on that list,” Marsch said of the available players. “Most of these players are on it because their salaries have gotten pretty high.”

Monday's first stage of the Re-Entry Process saw just three players selected – defender Danleigh Borman by the New England Revolution, midfielder Arturo Alvarez by Chivas USA and defender Carlos Mendes by the Columbus Crew. Montreal, with the 19th pick, declined to make a selection.

“We’ll be careful about how we proceed,” Marsch said. “In the second round, we’ll think a bit more about what we think might fit, but overall, I don’t expect us to have a lot of action.”

Among the players still available in Stage 2 is Ryan Pore, who was on loan to the Impact last season from the Portland Timbers.

“Ryan and I have had a good conversation about this,” Marsch said. “I do think he still has a lot of good qualities and he is a guy that we could still think about. But the way it works with contracts, we thought it was best to have him in that list.”

Not on the list anymore is Montreal’s 2011 goalkeeper Greg Sutton, who was on loan from the New York Red Bulls. The netminder's future with the Impact is unknown.

“I won’t talk about that just yet,” Marsch said of Sutton’s situation. “Yes, I can confirm that we have taken his name off the list.”

MLS debut at Vancouver!
First Kick 2012: The Impact will face its Canadian rivals

MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact will play its first ever game in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday, March 10 (broadcast live on: RDS, TSN) against its Canadian rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, at 6 pm (EST), at BC Place in Vancouver.

“This will be a historic match for the Montreal Impact,” said sporting director Nick De Santis. “It will be very special to finally play our first game in MLS on top of facing rival Vancouver. There is already 20 years of history between these two clubs in the North American Soccer League and the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The rivalry can now continue at the highest level. There is a lot of respect between the two organizations.”

It takes a defender longer to fully develop into an everyday player. Analysts have tried to explain this away by talking about how playing as a defender requires more maturity as there is a level of responsibility that comes with being the last line of defence.

In Tyson Wahl’s case, he feels he’s ready for a new challenge with Montreal.

“I am very proud of all the success that we had as a team in Seattle,” said the 27-year-old defender. “I fought to earn a regular spot and played well last season. I am really thrilled and excited to be going to Montreal. I have heard nothing but great things about the city and the fans. I feel my experience can definitely help and I am looking forward to being a part of the challenge of starting fresh and being part of the Impact’s defense for many years.”

Impact Notebook: No urgency for Designated Player
Talks with Anelka come to halt; Montreal await decision from Ching

REAL – Despite recent rumors linking the Impact to Nicolas Anelka, the two parties are not currently in contact over a deal for 2012, Montreal sporting director Nick De Santis told reporters on Tuesday.

The French striker had been approached by the Impact, but more recently has been linked to a lucrative deal with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua.

“The discussions with him had been stopped a few weeks ago,” De Santis said.

The Impact are still waiting on confirmation that former Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching will join the club after he was selected first overall in the Expansion Draft late last month. Ching expressed before the draft that he would retire if taken by the Impact, but the longtime MLS star has yet to go public with his intentions for 2012.

The MLS version of the Montreal Impact is beginning to look more and more like the NASL version of the Montreal Impact.

As expected, the club announced on Wednesday the signing of Colombian forward Miguel Montano, who played six games and scored one goal for the Impact in 2011 while on loan from the Seattle Sounders.

Per club and MLS policy, terms of the new agreement were not disclosed.

"In 2011, Miguel showed that he is a dangerous, mobile, and intelligent young forward and his performances helped the team to a very strong second half of the season," Impact head coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. "Moving into MLS, we believe that Miguel is ready to elevate his game even more and contribute to a successful year in 2012."

Impact bring club legend Greg Sutton back to Montreal
Veteran goalkeeper signs with expansion club where he made his name

Then there were three. The Montreal Impact added a third goalkeeper on Friday, announcing the return of former Impact star Greg Sutton.

Per club and Major League Soccer policy, terms of the agreement will not be disclosed.

Sutton joins Donovan Ricketts, recently acquired in a trade with the LA Galaxy, and Evan Bush, who started in the nets for the NASL Impact in 2011.

“We are very pleased that Greg will be joining us for 2012,” Impact head coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. “His experience in MLS, with Toronto FC in their inaugural season and with New York, as well as his experience with the Impact franchise, makes him a terrific fit for our organization. His addition to our goalkeeping corps gives us great depth, knowledge and talent at that position.”

Sutton, 34, spent the last four years in MLS. He made 34 appearances for Toronto in the club’s first three seasons. In April 2010, he joined the Red Bulls, where he made 10 starts in a mostly backup role for the Big Apple club

With 10 years experience in MLS, Davy Arnaud, 31, has seen the league grow from its infancy to being internationally recognized. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winner and MLS Cup finalist speaks with Impact Media about his experiences in the league and internationally, and his excitement about being a part of the Impact next season following his departure from Sporting Kansas City in November.